Perfect Mistakes
by mugglegrl84
Summary: AU. Ginny Weasley is a successful quidditch player and should be happy with her life. However, she longs for something more. How will one night change the course of her life forever?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life? That's how I'm feeling right now. I suppose that looking at my life from the outside, I should be happy. I've been playing professional quidditch for four years now and I have the most amazing and supportive family you could ever ask for. But even with all these things, I feel like something is missing.

I know what my mother would say if I talked to her about how I'm feeling. She would tell me that there was no rush for me to settle down and get married. She would say that I'm only twenty two years old and that what I should be doing is concentrating on my career. But for the last four years, that's all I've been doing. Sure, I've got friends and I _do _go out and do things that aren't quidditch related, but I don't date. I guess anyone would say that from that last statement that that's my problem. You can't expect to find someone to be with if you don't date. But the problem is, there's only one person I've ever been interested in, and I'm not even sure if he knows I exist.

Okay, so that might be a bit dramatic. I know that he knows I exist. Harry Potter has been my brother Ron's best friend since his first year at Hogwarts and he spent nearly every summer after that with my family. But what I mean is that I'm not sure if he has ever or will ever see me as anything more then his best mate's little sister.

Sighing to myself, I step into the small all night cafe that's about a block from my flat to escape the cold. It's become somewhat of a ritual for me after coming home from practice. Going home to an empty flat just doesn't appeal to me. Shrugging out of my coat, I find a table situated by the front window and order a cup of tea with honey and lemon.

The waiter winks at me when he brings me my drink and I smile. I guess you could consider him good looking. He's tall with sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. And I guess I could take him up on his offer to take me to dinner, he's only been asking me every time I come in here for the last year. But I know it wouldn't go anywhere and I feel I would just be wasting his time as well as mine. At the end of the day, he's not Harry.

Just like clockwork, the waiter makes his way back over to my table. "When are you going to let me take you to dinner, Ginny?" he asks.

"You know I don't date, Justin," I reply dryly. It's the same conversation we have every time.

"I'll wear you down eventually," says Justin before winking again and walking away. I sigh and pick up my cup of tea, cradling it between my hands and taking comfort from it's warmth. My gaze wanders out the front window and I watch a couple slipping and sliding on the snow and ice that's covering the sidewalks. The girl looses her balance and grabs onto the guy's arm to catch herself. Taken off guard, he slips also and they both tumble to the ground, laughing. Witnessing moments like these makes me realize just how lonely I really am.

I'm just about to flag Justin down and take him up on his offer when the front door of the cafe swings open and a man steps in, bringing with him a cold rush of air. I look up at the man and my heart skips a beat when I realize it's Harry. I quickly brush my hair over my face and turn to look out the window again, praying that he didn't see me. It always takes so much out of me when I see Harry and realize once again that he's never going to return my feelings. But I hear the sound of his footsteps heading toward my table anyway.

"Hey Gin," I hear him say. I sit down my tea and tuck my hair behind my ear before looking up at him and forcing a smile on my face.

"Hey Harry," I say.

"Care if I join you?" he asks. I gesture toward the empty chair across with me with my hand and plops down into it. Justin comes over to take his order and gives me a looks as if to say, 'I thought you didn't date'. I shrug an apology and turn my attention back to Harry.

"So," I begin, "what brings you to this part of town?" I notice that his face is flushed from the cold and his usually untidy hair is even messier then normal.

"Actually, I was looking for you," says Harry.

"Really," I say, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said. "Ron's birthday's coming up and me and Hermione wanted to throw him something of a surprise party."

Of course, Ron's birthday party. I think I remember Hermione saying something about this at the Burrow the other night. I should've known better then to think that he would actually seek me out for any other reason.

"Right, the birthday party," I said, trying to disguise the disappointment in my voice.

"Hermione was thinking we could have it at the Leaky and I was wondering if you could find out from Tom how much it would cost to reserve a private room," said Harry. "I'd do it but I have Auror training all week and I know Hermione's got a huge stack of parchment on her desk a few feet high. Would you mind?"

I consider saying no, that I can't do it because I have about a million other things I have to do. But the truth of the matter was, I really had nothing to do. Practices were starting to wind down and everyone knew I didn't have much of a social life, so I paste a smile on my face and say as enthusiastically as I can that I'd love to.

He reaches across the table and rests his hand on top of mine and I can feel my skin heat under his touch. "Thanks Gin. I owe you big time," he says, grinning madly. "Listen, I've got to run. Owl me when you find out."

"Sure," I say as I watch him jump to his feet and toss some muggle money onto the table. He waves on his way out the door and then he's gone. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and pick up my tea cup with shaking hands. Why do I let him do this to me? Why can't I just get over him? These are the same questions I ask myself after every time I see him and I ask them to myself once again. I don't have the answer.

I glance down at my watch and figure that since it's still early I could pop over to the Leaky Cauldron and check about the room. It would give me another excuse for not returning to my depressingly empty flat. _Maybe I should get a flat mate,_ I muse to myself as I pay Justin and slip my arms back into my coat. Stepping back outside, I carefully tread down the sidewalk until I find an empty alleyway that would serve as the perfect place to apparate from. This is probably the single most inconvenient thing about living in the muggle world. Checking once again that no one is watching, I pull out my wand and turn on the spot, arriving a moment later inside the Leaky.

Tom looks up at the sound of my arrival and pulls a butterbeer onto the counter. "On the house, Miss. Weasley," he says, sliding the bottle down the bar. I catch it and thank him. I learned years ago not to argue with him. He always offers the first drink on the house to anyone who played a significant part in the downfall of Voldemort and Harry's money is good for nothing when he comes in. That's probably why he asked me to come instead of him. I know it makes him feel uncomfortable when Tom flat out refuses to allow Harry to pay anything.

"Miss. Granger is right over there," says Tom, pulling me from my musing.

"She is?" I ask in confusion. I was sure that Harry said she was extremely busy at the Ministry. Tom nods and I thank him once again as I move through the pub.

"Hermione," I said upon reaching her table. Startled she looks up at me from the stack of parchment she was pouring over.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" she says as she clears the table and shoves her paperwork back into her bag, indicating for me to have a seat.

"Harry asked me to find out about a private room for Ron's birthday," I say as I shrug out of my coat and slide into the booth.

"Did he? That's odd," says Hermione.

"Why is that odd?" I ask. I was starting to get confused. I thought the two of them were working together to plan this party. "There is a party, right?"

"Yeah, there's a party. But I told him I'd take care of it. Actually, I already did. Oh, well," she shrugged. "Have dinner with me while you're here?"

I agree and we order the steak and kidney pie, which is nearly as good as my mothers, and fall into easy conversation about the newest gossip at the Ministry and the new witch George brought to the Burrow last Sunday for lunch. This is one of the reasons I enjoy talking to Hermione. She doesn't pressure me about my love life, or lack there of, and she always has the ability to cheer me up no matter how glum I am.

On my way home that evening, my thoughts return to the meeting I had earlier with Harry. Why did he go completely out of his way to ask me to find out about the Leaky when he knew Hermione was taking care of it? That wasn't like Harry. There had to be more to it then he was letting on and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

For the next few weeks leading up to Ron's birthday party, I watched Harry's behavior closely trying to find some clue as to why he was acting the way he was. I even once went to Hermione to see if she knew anything, but she just told me that Harry must be stressed over something at work. Now, I've known Harry during some seriously stressful situations and I've never seen him act like this. It seemed like every time I saw him he had a tendency to trip over his own feet, not to mention trip over his words. Add this to the unexplained visit at the cafe and the owls I'd started to receiving from him soon afterward, I was more confused then ever. And to top things off, I seemed to be the only one who was concerned.

While setting the table for our traditional Sunday lunch at the Burrow, I watched Harry carefully out of the corner of my eye. Maybe I had been imagining things because at that moment, nothing seems to be wrong. Harry came in and immediately started joking around and laughing with my brothers. He even got involved in the heated debate with Charlie about which quidditch team was currently in the best position to excel to the World Cup.

Yes, I must have been imagining things. By the time lunch was over and I'm preparing to leave, Harry is back to normal. And by normal, I mean that we're back to exchanging the usual pleasantries with each other like any other day. I mentally shake myself. For a while there I was starting to think that Harry was actually starting to notice me for me, and not just Ron's sister.

But then something strange happens when I'm about to leave. I make my usual rounds to hug my parents and brothers and when I'm about to wave good-bye and walk out the door, Harry looks up at me and our eyes lock. I say this was strange because it was almost like Harry wanted to say something to me. But instead he gives a small wave and quickly averts his eyes away from mine.

I tried not to dwell on it on my way home that night and instead tried to concentrate on the new move Gwenog was showing me at practice the other day. But no matter how hard I might try, my mind kept wandering back to Harry. I even considered for a moment marching over to his flat and demanding to know what was going on with him, but I quickly talk myself out of it. The problem was that I wasn't sure there _was_ anything going on. I could still be imagining things.

_Wow, I'm pathetic, _I mutter to myself as I step into my now darkened flat. _Get it together Weasley. You're only seeing what you want to see because you have feelings for him. _

Not bothering to turn on the light, I flop down on my sofa and click on the TV I splurged on upon moving out on my own. I was in desperate need of a mindless program to distract myself with. There was no way I was going to figure this out tonight and I didn't even really know why I was bothering myself with it in the first place.

Soon enough, the soft hum from the TV lulls me to sleep and I have dreams filled with a mysterious dark haired man with striking green eyes.

* * *

Finally, after what felt like years of planning, it's the day of Ron's birthday party. I don't even know why we went to so much trouble for this particular birthday. I mean, it's not like he's turning seventeen again or anything. But who am I to argue, I really need an excuse to get out of my flat more often. I eye the simple black dress that currently hanging on my closet door warily. I didn't even want to buy the thing but Jess, one of the beaters for the Harpies', insisted I get it once she found out about the party. She said that while I'm there I might find the man of my dreams but there was no way I was going to catch his eye dressed in the jeans and jumper I was planning on wearing instead.

Sighing in resignation, I slip the dress on and use my wand to do up the zipper in the back. Stepping in front of my full length mirror, I stare at my reflection critically. Normally, I wasn't to keen on dressing up, preferring comfort over fashion. But there was no time to try to find something else to wear now. I only had thirty minutes until the party was to start and I had to be there early as it _was_ a surprise party. I slide my feet into the heels that Jess insisted I buy to go with the dress and grab my handbag off the dresser. Taking a deep breath, I turn on the spot and apparate directly into the Leaky Cauldron.

Everyone was already there when I stepped into the private room in the back of the pub. I sigh a breath of relief when I notice that I'm not overdressed for the occasion and move over to stand next to George, who I notice came alone to the party.

"What happened to what's her face?" I ask, nudging him in the ribs.

"Who, Sara? She was getting to clingy. Had to end it," said George with a wink as he nudges me back.

I laugh and shake my head at my brothers obvious fear of commitment. In many ways, I think we're a lot alike. Even though he won't admit it, I think he's holding out for his ex-girlfriend, Katie Bell. They dated for a year after the war ended but then she left to study abroad to become a healer. I know he was crushed when she left.

When Bill approaches and engages George in talks of the joke shop, I scan the room to see who showed up for the party. That's when I notice Harry, standing off the side by himself and staring directly at me, his mouth gapping open slightly. Noticing that I was looking his way, he quickly averted his eyes and took a swig from his bottle of butterbeer. I was just about to go over to him when my mother rushes in to let us know that Hermione just arrived with Ron and that they were on their way in.

We all tried to hide, unsuccessfully I might add, and Ron was genuinely surprised when he walked in the room. After about an hour of mingling around with all the guests, my parents left for the evening and George brought out the heavy artillery - firewhiskey. We all threw back a couple of shots in celebration of Ron's birthday and the party got into full swing.

I glanced over at Harry from where I was standing chatting with Dean Thomas and noticed that he was still starring in my direction. Deciding that enough was enough, I tossed back another firewhiskey, excused myself, and approached him.

"Something wrong with your eyes, Potter?" I said jokingly as Harry was taking a sip of his drink.

"Uh . . . er . . . sorry?" he sputtered, spilling half his drink.

"Well you've been starring at me since I walked in the room," I said. I was starting to feel the effects of the firewhiskey so I give him a little wink. To my surprise, he blushes and I watch as he brings his hand up and rubs the back of his neck. It's a habit of his that I noticed he only does when he's nervous.

"Well . . . it's just that . . . you look great tonight," he says. Now it's my turn to blush and I can feel my face flush. To cover my moment of embarrassment, I grab two glasses of firewhiskey off the tray of a passing waiter and hand one to Harry.

"To Ron," I said, holding up my glass. He smiles and taps his glass against mine before we both toss back our drinks.

"I don't normally drink you know," said Harry.

"I know. Neither do I," I said, grabbing two more drinks. We continue this way for some time, each of us saying little but drinking a lot.

"Dance with me," he said suddenly, taking me by the hand and leading me out on the dance floor before I had time to protest. It was a slow song and he placed his hands on my hips and I looped my arms around his neck as we swayed in time with the music. My head was beginning to get a bit fuzzy from the amount of alcohol I'd consumed but that didn't keep my heart from beating madly in my chest in reaction to his touch.

When the song finally ended, we both downed another drink and lost all our inhibitions. I can't remember a time when I had more fun then I did right then dancing with Harry. The only problem is that that's the last thing I remember about that night.

I was groggy when I woke up the next morning and for a moment I didn't know where I was. My head was pounding and it felt like the room was spinning. I closed my eyes again and rolled over, willing my headache to go away. I knew I had some potions in the kitchen to help, but I couldn't muster up the energy to get out of bed to get them. Slowly opening my eyes again, I came face to face with the biggest shock of my life. Lying in bed next to me, sound asleep, was Harry. And it didn't look like either of us were wearing any clothes.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think so far. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Lying in bed next to me, sound asleep, was Harry. And it didn't look like either of us were wearing any clothes.

* * *

Panicking, I jump out of bed and wrap my dressing gown around myself right as Harry groans, rolls over, and opens his eyes. He looks a bit disoriented for a moment before he spotted me standing next to the bed and quickly jumped up and started to get dressed.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry," he said as he tugged on his abandoned jeans after taking in my alarmed expression.

"What in the name of Merlin happened last night?" I asked. I ran my hand through my hair and my fingers catch in the tangles, pulling out a few strands in the process.

"Nothing happened, I swear it," he said.

"Then why did I wake up without any clothes on?" I asked, my voice rising with my increasing panic.

"Well . . . er . . . we were going to . . . well . . . you know," said Harry. Clearly he was as uncomfortable with our current situation as I was.

I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and scrubbed my hands across my face.

"So we didn't . . .?"

"Have sex? No," said Harry.

"Harry, can you just leave?" I asked weakly, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Gin, don't you think we should talk about what happened last night?" he said as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Just go Harry. I can't do this right now," I said. I could feel the tears start to form in my eyes and I was mortified by the situation. Never in my life had I done anything so stupid and irresponsible. When I hear the sound of Harry's apparition, I finally allow myself to break down in tears. I completely believed Harry when he said we didn't have sex, but _something _had happened for me to wake up with no clothes on.

I groaned to myself when I realized what day it was. It was Sunday which meant that I had to go to the Burrow for lunch. That also meant that I had to face Harry way before I was ready to. And then I thought of something. How many of my brothers saw me leave last night with Harry? Thankfully my parents left before they could witness anything and I didn't think any of my brothers were stupid enough to say anything to them. They all knew that I had a lot of dirt on them which I could spill to our parents if they did. No, they wouldn't say anything.

Another thing that was starting to bother me was that I had no idea how we got to my flat last night. I know that from the amount of alcohol we consumed that there was absolutely no way we apparated here and if we would have taken the floo, who knows where we would have ended up.

And the problem with all these questions was that the only person who could answer them was Harry, and the only way I was going to find out was to talk to him.

Sighing to myself, I heaved myself off my bed and went to go take a shower. No matter how much I didn't want to, there was only one thing I could do. I had to go to the Burrow, act like nothing was wrong, and talk to Harry.

* * *

Stepping into the Burrow about two hours later, I was prepared for an onslaught of questions from my brothers. But when I walked in the kitchen, I was surprised when the only person who gave any hint of knowing what happened was Hermione. And if she truly did know something, she hadn't said anything to anyone else. I shot her a quick look as if to say 'We'll talk later', and started scanning the room in search of Harry. He wasn't there.

I glanced back at Hermione and nodded my head in the direction of the sitting room. Getting the hint she stood from the table and followed me through the door.

As soon as we were out of ear shot of the rest of the family, she turned to me and fixed me with a stern look. "What happened last night? I saw you over there drinking and dancing with Harry and the next thing I know, you two are leaving together," she said.

"Nothing happened, Hermione," I said. "At least that's what Harry told me this morning."

"Oh, thank Merlin," said Hermione, releasing a sigh of relief. "I'd hate for either of you to do something that you'd later regret."

"Speaking of Harry, do you know where he is? I really need to talk to him."

"Your mum said she got an owl from him earlier saying he wasn't feeling well and that he was going to stay home and rest," said Hermione.

"Oh well that's just great. I have to come here and face everyone and he stays home like a coward."

"No one else saw you leave with him last night. They were all drinking too much to notice anything that was going on around them. I wasn't drinking since I had to make sure Ron made it home in one piece," she said.

Now it was my turn to release a sigh of relief. At least no one saw us.

"Come on, let's get back in there before someone notices we're gone."

* * *

To my immense relief, lunch passed relatively uneventful. And for once, the attention was not centered on me in any way. Instead, mum spent the majority of the time berating George for breaking things off with his latest girlfriend saying that she was a 'lovely girl' and it was time he settled down.

"I need someone to take this plate of food over to Harry," said mum as we were all preparing to leave. It was the perfect opportunity.

"I'll take it mum," I said while trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

"Thank you Ginny dear. I don't think that boy eats a square meal all week until he comes here," said mum as she handed me a plate that was overflowing with food.

As I was getting ready to walk out the door, I could see Hermione giving me a look out of the corner of my eye but I chose to ignore her. We'd talk later. Waving good-bye to my family, I walked out into the back garden and apparated into the alleyway beside Harry's building.

After climbing the three flights of stairs to his flat, I pounded lightly on the door. About a moment later, it was wrenched open from the inside and Harry appeared in front of me. I couldn't help but notice that he looked slightly worse then he had this morning. His usually untidy hair was messier then normal, almost like he had been running his hands through it all day.

"Mum wanted me to bring this by," I said, holding up the plate of food.

Harry opened the door wider and wordlessly motioned for me to enter. I walked past him into the dark sitting room. The only light in the room was emanating from the TV and I noticed a glass and a half empty bottle of firewhiskey sitting on the side table.

"Should I just put this on the counter or do you want some now?" I asked when he walked back into the room behind me.

"Just put it in the kitchen, I'm not hungry," said Harry. He sat back down on the sofa and poured a glass of firewhiskey. "Why are you here Ginny?" he asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"I told you. Mum wanted me to bring you some food. She's scared you're not eating properly," I said.

"Why are you really here?"

I hesitated. "I wanted to talk . . . about what happened last night." I said.

"Nothing happened. There's nothing to talk about," said Harry, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"I woke up naked and in bed with you. You may call that nothing, but I don't," I said. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"I don't know what you want me to say Ginny. We drank too much, hopped on the Knight Bus and went to your flat. We started snogging a bit and then things got out of hand so I told you we needed to stop. You passed out not to long after that," he said.

"Oh," I said lamely. "I'm sorry."

Harry's head jerked up. "What are you apologizing for? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I took advantage of you. I should have known better," he said with a pained expression on his face.

"Harry, we were both drunk," I said in an attempt to reason with him. It didn't work. He stood from his spot on the sofa and started pacing around the sitting room.

"I wasn't that drunk Ginny. I knew what I was doing," he said.

"But you said it yourself Harry. Nothing happened. We didn't have sex," I said.

"But I wanted to," he said barely above a whisper.

"What was that?" I asked, unsure I had heard him correctly.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry. I have no right to feel that way. You've always been like a sister to me. But lately, I don't know what it is, but I've started to have . . . these . . . feelings for you. And then last night when we were together . . . I wanted you so bad and I knew it was wrong. You were drunk and . . . and it just wouldn't have been right."

I was shocked. Never in a million years would I have imagined I'd ever hear Harry confess that he had feelings for me. I was so taken aback that I just sat there, unsure of what to say.

"You must be so disgusted with me," said Harry. He sat down on the far end of the sofa and covered his face with his hands.

"Harry, how much of that firewhiskey have you had to drink today?" I asked.

"Just that glass you saw me pour when you came in," he answered. "Why?"

"Because you just said that you have feelings for me and I wanted to make sure you're not drunk right now," I said.

"I'm so sorry. I . . ."

"Harry, shut up," I said, but he wasn't listening.

"I mean, you're my best mates little sister . . ."

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" I asked.

"You probably hate me . . . what?" said Harry, finally registering what I had asked.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" I asked again.

"I . . . uh . . . nothing," he stammered.

"Do you want to come over and have dinner with me?"

He blinked a few times, clearly taken aback by my question before he finally answered. "Uh . . . sure," he said. "So . . . you don't hate me for what I did?"

"No. I don't hate you. I could never hate you," I said, resting my hand on his knee and looking him in they eyes.

"O-ok," he said. Even in the darkened room, I could see him blush. I stood from the sofa and pulled out my wand, preparing to apparate home.

"Can you be at my flat around seven? I have practice until five."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm helping to train a class at the Auror academy tomorrow until five so that's actually perfect," said Harry. He then proceeded to stand from the sofa and completely take me by surprise by giving me a hug and placing a light kiss on my cheek.

"Thanks for not hating me."

* * *

Later that night while I was lying in bed, I thought back on my conversation with Harry. How long have I waited to hear those words come out of his mouth? He had feelings for me. I still couldn't believe it.

For the first time that I could remember since knowing Harry, I felt excited about the prospect of seeing him again. And that night, I once again dreamt about that mysterious dark haired man with the striking emerald eyes, only this time, I knew it was Harry.

At practice the next day, I had a hard time concentrating on what I was doing and was nearly knocked off my broom by several bludgers. When the whistle blew and the team landed in the middle of the pitch, Gwenog turned to me.

"Ginny, what's the matter with you today? You're flying around up there like you've never played a game of quidditch in your life," said Gwenog.

"Sorry captain. I'm just a little distracted today," I said.

"Well, get you're head out of the clouds and pay attention. And that goes for the rest of you too. Now get back up there and run those drills," said Gwenog. She blew the whistle and the team kicked off from the ground.

"Ginny, can I have a word?" asked Gwenog before I took off.

"Uh, sure," I said. It was unlike Gwenog to single anyone out for a private talk. Normally if she wanted to yell at you for something, she made sure she did it in front of the team. And her methods normally worked. No one wanted to be called out about something in front of everyone else.

"I don't know what's going on with you, but you need to get your head out of the clouds. I can't afford to have my star chaser knocked off her broom and injured because she simply wasn't paying attention," she said, fixing me with a stern look.

"It won't happen again," I said. She nodded and I kicked off from the ground and joined my teammates. For the rest of the practice, I didn't allow myself the opportunity to think of Harry or our upcoming dinner plans. Gwenog was right. The team couldn't afford me getting injured because I wasn't paying attention during practice. I'd seen too many players taken out of a game that way.

By the time I made it home that night, it was already nearly seven. After practice was over, Gwenog kept us in the changing room going over our moves and planning out our strategy for our next game. Almost as soon as I apparated into my flat, I heard the sound of someone knocking on my front door. I cursed to myself and ran to answer it.

Harry was standing there when I pulled the door open and I smiled at the sight of him. He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a green button up shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. It even looked like he attempted to tame his unruly hair. Me on the other hand was covered in sweat and dirt and still in my Harpies' uniform.

"Come on in Harry," I said, holding the door open wider for him. "Do you mind if I go jump in the shower? Practice ran late and I just got home."

"Oh, uh . . . no," said Harry. I could tell that he was nervous.

"I was also hoping you wouldn't mind if we went out for dinner. I was going to make something but because of practice I didn't have time,"

"That's fine Gin. What were you in the mood for?"

"Chinese," I said, grinning at him. "There's a restaurant up the street."

"I've never had it," said Harry.

"You're kidding? Never?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Well then, that's definitely what we're having," I said. "I'll be out in a moment. Make yourself at home."

I raced back into my bedroom and started peeling off my filthy uniform. After taking my shower I charmed my hair dry with my wand and dug around in my closet until I found my favorite jeans and one of my nicer jumpers. I made a mental note as I was rummaging around to go shopping soon. I really had nothing to wear that didn't consist of jeans and a t-shirt. Unless you count that little black dress of course.

"You look great," said Harry when I stepped back into the sitting room.

I blushed. "Are you ready?" I asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said, winking at me.

Since the weather was starting to warm, we walked the few blocks that separated my flat and the restaurant making polite conversation. He told me about the latest mission he went on for the Aurors and about the class he was helping his head of department train. I talked about my practice with the Harpies', leaving out my distraction today, and we discussed a few flying techniques that had worked for him when he played at school.

When we reached the restaurant, Harry stared at the menu blankly. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd never had Chinese. He had no idea what any of it was. When the waiter came to take our order, he looked at me for help and I ordered us both the lo mein and fried rice.

"Thanks," said Harry when the waiter left. "I order out a lot but it's normally pizza and the Dursley's never took me out for anything."

I looked up at this last statement. It was rare to hear Harry say anything about the Dursley's or his life before meeting my family. I know they weren't very nice people but that's about all I knew about them.

The rest of our dinner was spent continuing our earlier conversation and doing some basic catching up. Even though we saw each other every Sunday, we never really talked one on one before. I learned that Harry was in line to become the youngest Head Auror in history when his current head decided to retire and that a lot of the more senior Aurors weren't happy about it. I can't say this bit of information surprised me. I knew that Harry worked hard at this job. After what he went through, he wanted to make sure there was no chance we could ever have another Voldemort.

When we were walking back to my flat later that night, he surprised me by reaching down and taking me by the hand. I could feel my skin tingle in response to his touch and my heart skipped a few beats.

"When can I see you again?" he asked when we reached the front door of my flat. I blushed. It seemed like I was doing that a lot lately.

"I'm free tomorrow," I said. I didn't care if it sounded desperate. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait any longer then that to see him again.

"Tomorrow then," he said, smiling down at me. He brought his hand up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, leaving his hand resting on my check. And then looking me in the eyes, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to mine.

"Goodnight Gin."

"Goodnight."

Once inside my flat, I closed the door and pressed my back against it. I'd never felt this way about anyone before in my life. It was almost like I was walking on air. And then something that Harry had said last night came to me. I'm his best mates little sister. _oh great, _I thought to myself. _What were my brothers going to say?_

* * *

**A/N: You didn't honestly think that Harry would take advantage of Ginny, did you? ;)**

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I hoped you enjoyed. **

**Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

I think that if all possible, I was even more nervous today then I was the night after Ron's party when I confronted Harry. Once again, it was time for the traditional Weasley Sunday lunch and it was also the first time I'd seen my family since Harry and I had started dating,

"Are you sure you don't want to tell them about us?" asked Harry as we were preparing to go to the Burrow. We'd met that morning and had breakfast together and were sitting on the sofa back at my flat.

"I told you already," I said. "I'm not ready for everyone to know yet. I want to see where this goes before we have my entire family sticking their noses in our business."

Harry sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "Fine," he said. "But I think Hermione's on to us."

"She did see us leave together at the party," I said in agreement.

"Aren't you worried she's going to say something?" asked Harry. I was beginning to think he was more worried then I was.

I thought about his question for a moment before answering. "No, I'm not," I said finally. And I was certain of my answer. I'd told Hermione plenty of things in the past in confidence and not once has she ever betrayed me.

"So, do you want to go first or shall I?" he asked.

"You go first. I'm normally late anyway," I said. Harry stood and gave me a quick kiss before disapparating. I leaned back on the sofa wondering what would be the appropriate amount of time to wait before heading to the Burrow so we wouldn't arouse suspicion. I think I must have sat there for at least a good twenty minutes before deciding enough time had passed. If only there was some way of knowing if our plan was going to work.

We had both decided when I told Harry I wanted to wait to tell my family about our relationship that we would arrive at the Burrow separately and do the exact same thing we did every Sunday at lunch - act like we barely knew the other was there.

When I had first suggested this, Harry was against it. He said that there was no way he was going to be able to get through the day without me by his side. I tried everything to persuade him otherwise but it wasn't until I reminded him of the fact that I did have five very protective older brothers did he finally agree. Even though they all considered Harry an honorary part of the family, and had so for years, neither of us were exactly sure how they would react to the news of our relationship. We both remembered all to well the way Ron had reacted when I dated Dean Thomas back when we were in Hogwarts.

When I stepped into the kitchen at the Burrow, everyone was already gathered and mum was busy levitating several platters of food to the table. I quickly scanned the room until I spotted Harry sitting in his normal seat to Ron's left. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments until we both diverted our gaze in case someone noticed.

"Ginny, could you help me with something?"

I spun around to find Hermione standing by the door to the sitting room.

"Sure," I said, knowing that she didn't need help with anything. I had expected this so I followed her into the sitting room until we were out of earshot of everyone in the kitchen.

"Well?" said Hermione expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well what?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"You, Harry. What's going on?" Ron hasn't seen him in a week and normally they're inseparable. I've owled you a few times this week to have dinner and you replied every time that you already had plans," she said.

"So?"

"So, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You and Harry have been seeing each other," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

At first I didn't know what to say. Sure, I'd expected Hermione to confront me at some point but I didn't think she'd do it as soon as I walked in the house. I mentally debated how I should answer her. Should I lie and say that nothing was going on with Harry and I? Sure, that might buy us a little time, but on the other hand, Hermione wasn't known as the brightest witch of her age for nothing. She'd see straight through me. I decided honestly was the best way to go so I said, "Yes, but I'm not ready for everyone to know yet."

Hermione blinked a few times, and her mouth fell open in shock. Apparently she wasn't prepared for me to admit my involvement with Harry so easily. I think it was one of the only times I'd ever seen her speechless in all the year's I'd known her.

"We want to see where things lead between us before we have the whole family meddling in our business. Promise me you won't say anything," I said, fixing her with a stern look.

Hermione blinked a few more times and shook her head. "I . . . I won't say anything, but you better not wait too long to tell everyone. I've never seen Harry light up the way he did when you walked in. They're bound to figure it out," she said finally. .

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind,' I said, but I couldn't help the smile from spreading across my face.

* * *

Later that evening when Harry and I were back at my flat, I was preoccupied by what Hermione had told me earlier. As lunch had progressed, I started to realize more and more that she was right. Both Harry and I were having a hard time keeping our eyes off one another and I think Bill might have caught on to something by the time mum brought out pudding. We had to tell my family we were dating.

When I told Harry this, his eyes got wide and fear flitted across his face.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Yes. I think we have to. I don't think we can keep up this charade much longer. Ron noticed that something was different and I think Bill knows something as well."

"I don't know," said Harry, running his hand through his hair which made it stand up at odd angles.

"Why are you against this? Just this morning you were trying to convince me that we should tell them today," I said. I couldn't understand why Harry would be scared to tell my family that we were together. And then it dawned on me. "You're scared of my brothers, aren't you?" I didn't even try to hide the amusement in my voice.

"Well . . . uh . . . er . . . yeah," he said, staring at the toes of his trainers. "You're my best mate's little sister. I'm pretty sure that it's a general rule that you can't date your best mate's little sister. Ron's going to murder me and then the rest of your brothers are going to help him dispose of my mangled body."

"You're being way too dramatic," I said. "You're Harry Potter. You defeated Voldemort. I'm sure you can handle my brothers."

"Your brothers are a bit scarier then Voldemort in my opinion. Have you seen half the stuff George has in the shop? They'll turn me into a bird or something and no one will ever find me!" said Harry.

I couldn't hold back my laughter any longer. He was being absolutely ridiculous.

"It's not funny, Gin," said Harry, but I could see the faintest trace of a smile forming on his face.

"Harry, we've been over this before," I said once I got my laughter under control. "My brothers might be a bit over protective but they aren't going to do anything to you. If they do, they'll have to answer to me and they all know what'll happen then."

"They're going to hex my bits off Gin," said Harry. I could hear the panic in his voice and had to stifle another laugh.

"They'll do no such thing. But I can't promise that they won't try to give you 'the talk'," I said the last part dramatically.

"Oh, great," said Harry. He flopped down on the sofa and tossed his glasses on the side table, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's going to be fine," I said, attempting to calm him down.

"When do you want to tell them?" asked Harry in a resigned kind of way.

"Next Sunday of course," I said. "_Everyone _will be there," I added, winking at him.

I squealed when he reached over and started to tickle me. I scooted back on the sofa in an attempt to get away since I'm extremely ticklish and somehow I wound up falling flat on my back across the sofa cushions, bring Harry with me. We both stopped laughing the moment we realized how we were positioned. Harry tentatively brought his hand down and smoothed my hair from my face, looking deep into my eyes, and not for the first time, taking my breath away. Then he said something I'll never forget.

"Ginny, I think I'm in love with you."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. We had a huge snow storm followed by another huge snow storm in the span of about a week so I spent a lot of time digging out. And then to top it off, work has been crazy. Hopefully I can start updating more often now that things seem to have calmed down.

I want to thank anyone who has read and reviewed this story. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_Ginny, I think I'm in love with you."_

I know it might sound a bit cliché, but my heart skipped a beat at Harry's words and my breath caught in my throat. But for some inexplicable reason, I couldn't say it back. I just lay there, my cheeks burning and my eyes wide with shock.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…I should probably just go…," said Harry. He pushed himself up off the sofa and made to leave. He had his hand on the doorknob before I finally found my voice.

"Don't go…," I said, my voice a bit shaky and higher than normal. I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face.

"Ginny… I…," began Harry, but he seemed to be struggling for the right words to say. "Damnit Gin… if you don't have feelings for me, can you just tell me now? Just tell me so I can leave here and get on with my life and try to forget how I feel about you."

My mouth opened and closed several times. Why couldn't I just tell him that I loved him, that I've always loved him? I've loved him before I even met him; when he was just a boy in the stories my mother used to tell me.

"That's all I needed to know," said Harry dejectedly. And before I could do anything, he was gone. I could hear the soft sound of his apparition through the closed door.

I sat back on the sofa and scrubbed my hands over my face. What have I just done? I let the one guy I've ever loved express his feelings for me and then walk out the door thinking I didn't return those feelings.

Then I did the one thing I've done for years when I needed someone to talk to about Harry, I flooed Hermione.

She was sitting on her sofa, her hair pulled back in a loose plait and reading glasses perched on her nose, reading through an enormous stack of parchment when I spun into her and Ron's flat.

"Hermione, I messed up big this time," I said without preamble and flopped down on the sofa next to her.

"Well hello to you too," said Hermione. "What happened?" she said, taking in my expression.

"Harry." I said simply. Hermione sat down what she was reading and removed her glasses, sitting them on the side table, and waited for me to continue.

"He and I have been kind of seeing each other and he came over to my flat tonight," I started, unsure now that I was here of how much I should actually divulge.

"Well…I could have guessed that part after lunch. You two couldn't keep your eyes off one another," said Hermione, rolling her eyes .

I gave a shaky laugh and continued, "Well… when he came over tonight he told me he loved me."

"Well, it's about time!" exclaimed Hermione, clapping her hands over her mouth in excitement.

"I didn't say anything," I said with a sigh. "He told me he loved me and I said nothing. He got up to leave and still, I said nothing. Then he basically to tell him if I have feelings for him so he know he wasn't just wasting his time, and I said _nothing."_

"But…but you do have feelings for him," said Hermione, clearly confused.

"I love him," I said. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been waiting for this moment for what seems like forever and then I just freeze."

I couldn't sit still so I got up and started pacing around the sitting room. Hermione watched me for a moment before jumping up, the stack of parchment she had been reading earlier scattering to the floor. She grabbed me by my upper arms and shook me.

"What are you doing here?" she said. "Why aren't you talking to Harry? Go tell him how you feel before it's too late!"

I had never seen Hermione like this. Normally she liked things to be planned out and here she was telling me to march over to Harry's flat and express my undying love for him no knowing what the outcome would be.

"I can't Hermione. I think I've ruined any chance I ever had," I said, tears stinging my eyes before falling freely down my face. Hermione let her arms drop to her sides.

"You need to do something. If I know Harry, he's probably working his way through a bottle of Firewhiskey right now," said Hermione. "And we both know that won't end well," she added.

I left Hermione with the promise that I was going to make things right with Harry, but the problem was, I didn't know how to do it. What if I told him how I felt and the thought I was only saying it because he said it first?

"Get a grip Weasley," I muttered to myself before knocking on the door to Harry's flat. I had immediately decided against flooing directly inside. The last thing I wanted to do was startle him. And if he was halfway through a bottle of Firewhiskey as Hermione has suggested, that was the last thing I wanted to do unless I wanted to be on the receiving end of one of the many Hexes in Harry's arsenal.

There was no answer at the door so I knocked again, my hands shaking. This threw me for a loop as I wasn't normally the kind of person to get nervous or scared. I am a bloody Gryffindor after all!

After what felt like an eternity, the door swung open and Harry's head peaked around the corner, his hair sticking up on end. His face registered a minuscule amount of shock before he smoothed his features to show nothing but cold indifference.

"What are you doing here?" he said flatly.

"We need to talk," I said, barely above a whisper.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about. I think we covered just about everything earlier."

My heart sank. "Can we at least talk about what happened?"

Harry sighed and opened the door wider, but said nothing. I took this as an invitation and slipped inside his flat. I quickly scanned my surroundings for any signs of alcohol but found none as Harry closed the door behind me.

"I don't know what else there is to say, Ginny," he said as he maneuvered around me and flopped down on his sofa.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and took deep breath. "I love you."


End file.
